Doctors Against Genocide (DAG) invited former South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr. Naledi Pandor to their August 24 webinar, alongside Palestinian doctors from Gaza. DAG founders Dr. Karameh Kuemmerle and Dr. Nidal Jboor opened the meeting. Kuemmerle noted that famine has never before occurred in Palestine until now, and that it is man-made, not natural. She predicted 40,000 child deaths by year’s end. Jboor criticized Trump and other global leaders for cowardice, empty words, and failure to enforce the UN Genocide Convention. He said genocides never stop on their own and must be stopped by force, such as through sanctions, disinvestment, and boycott.
Pandor began by stressing that opposition to Israel must not be equated with anti-Semitism. Many Jewish organizations worldwide—including in South Africa—oppose the apartheid system, she noted. She called for stronger adherence to international law and human rights, warning that responses to war crimes must not themselves break international law. She cited the Nelson Mandela Rules for prisoners as a model of humanitarian oversight that should apply in occupied Palestine.
Pandor linked Gaza’s plight with conflicts in Sudan and the D.R. Congo, highlighting civilian suffering, Western arms sales, and disinformation campaigns, such as false claims of well-stocked shelves in Gaza. She praised steps by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold Israel accountable, but said more is needed. She urged the UN Commission Against Apartheid to engage, condemned U.S.-U.K.-German protection of Israel, and called for global sanctions, boycotts, and constant demonstrations.
She supported the idea of a UN enforcement force in Gaza to uphold the Geneva Convention, saying those states that have been arming Israel should send their own troops. She highlighted the Hague Group as a growing asset and called for trade unions, sports organizations, and artists to participate in boycotts, as these had a major impact in ending South Africa’s apartheid.
Speaking from Gaza, Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, head of pediatrics in Khan Younis, gave a passionate account of conditions on the ground. He described looming mass displacement from Gaza City to the south, with no transport and families forced to abandon belongings. He invited international doctors to come to Gaza and said Palestinians welcome Jews living peacefully alongside them.
Al-Farra detailed dire medical shortages, the long-term effects of starvation on children’s growth and cognition, and the collapse of Gaza’s health system. He warned that North Gaza and Rafah are already lost, and that Israel’s aim is to push Gazans into Sinai. He called starvation a weapon of war.
The webinar drew around 300 participants.
